William heney sceape



UNITE STATES PATENT ries.

\VILLIAM HENRY SCRAPE, OF BEEBE, ARKANSAS.

'SHAFT FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 290,936, dated December 25, 1883.

Application filed October 3, 1888. (N model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM HENRY SORAPE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beebe,'in the county of WVhite and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buggy-Shafts; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon. which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in vehicle shafts, whereby the shafts will not move from side to side as the front wheels of the vehicle run in and out of holes or over ridges or uneven dle and harness to rub and gall the animal, and can be successfully attached to buggi'es, carts, gigs, or other vehicles where shafts are used; and it consists in the novel arrangement and construction of its parts hereinafter described.

Figure 1 in the accompanying drawings represents a perspective view of my invention with the hood left off of the circles c and d. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views of the sixth-wheel, consisting of circles c and d. Fig. 4 is a faceview of the hood m before the brims are turned down. Fig. 5 is an edge view of the hood after the brims are turned down.

In the accompanying drawings, a represents the shafts secured to the iron cross-bar b. The shafts are made of any suitable material and given any proper curves.

To the rear side of the cross-bar b, and at its center, is securely welded a circle, 0, of iron or steel, havinga flat and smooth face, as shown in Fig. 3.

On the flat smooth face of this circle a are two nibs, c, for the purpose of fitting into slots d of circle d, to prevent the shafts from i turning too far around.

Fitted to the rear face of circle 0 is another circle, d, exactly coinciding in every particular with circle c,'and having circular slots d,

ground, causing the sad to receive nibs c, the purpose of which is above explained.

To the rear face of circle (2 is securely welded crossbar 6, having its perforated ends 6 turned back to an angle of ninety degrees.

To these perforated ends 6 are pivoted at their upper ends the curved V-shaped braces f, having arms 9 g. The arms of these braces are securely welded to the inner faces of clips hone, g, to the front, and the other, g,

to the rear-end-so as to straddle the front axle-tree. (Represented by the dotted lines.) Clips h fit on the upper side of the front axle,

k, and clips h on the under side, and are secured in place by bolts and nuts or other suitablefastenings. The two circles canddare held together by bolt and nut Z, passing transversely through bars 11 and e at the center of said circles.

It will be seen that the curved braces f, being welded to clips h, stand up in proper 7o shape to elevate the shafts to a suitable position. The bare, being pivoted at e to the front end of braces f, allows the front ends of the shafts to work up and down, The two bars I) and e and circles c and (1, being pivoted at their centers, allow the shafts to remain in position-that is, not to sag on the right or left, but remain level in respect to each other-while the ends of the rear crossbar, may sag at either end and accom- 8o modate itself to the uneven surface of the ground. The upper brim, n, of the hood m is turned down to an angle of ninety degrees, and the lower brim, 0, is also so turned down. This hood m is fitted on the rear circle, d, by means of rivets passing through holes 10 in the hood and holes p in the bar 6. When so fitted, brim 12 covers the joint between the disks of the circles c and d,-and brim o covers the joint between the lower disks of the 0 same, thus keeping out from these joints dust and gravel.

This hood may be made of any suitable material, and may be highly ornamented, serving to beautify the invention. 9 5

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as novel, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The V-shaped braces f, having their eles, in combination with said circles, the 10 lower ends welded to clips 71 in combination 1 cross-bars,undshufts, in theinanner described, with cross-bar c, circle (I, circle 0, cross-bar I), and for the purpose set forth. and nut and bolt Z, substantially as shown and In testimony whereof I nfiixniysignnture in 5 described. presence of two witnesses.

2. The hood 121, having brim n, adapted to \VILLIAM HENRY SCRAPE. fit over the outer edges of the upper disks of Witnesses:

eirc1es a and d, and brim 0, adapted to fit over .TXo. M. BATTLE, the inner edges of the under disks of said eir- I J 3. SMITH. 

